60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Although this podcast has continuously shown that we cheer for the underdog, every now and then we must tip our cap to the suits and head honchos. When Evanescence’s record label insisted that Amy Lee sing alongside a rapper on their song, “Bring Me To Life,” their seemingly cringey idea only accentuated Lee’s angsty vocals and became a multigenerational anthem. Later, Rob is joined by Brittany Spanos to discuss what it meant to have such a feminine singer enter the male dominated emo rock scene. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, Justin Sayles, and Olivia Crerie Guest: Brittany Spanos Power up your play with Nintendo Switch 2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/60songsthatexplainthe90s/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@60songsthatexplainthe90s?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s episode is all about comfort. It’s about being remembered and what better person to commemorate that feeling with than the person whose music doesn’t seem to age- Sade. Sade came out with “By Your Side” after disappearing with no explanation for 8 years because she felt that was best for her. That quiet confidence lends itself to making some of the, in Rob’s words, horniest music imaginable, and the world is better for it. Finally, he is joined by Danyel Smith who explains how Sade laid the groundwork for artists like Rihanna to be the ultimate cool girl and how younger generations are still discovering Sade. (00:00) Intro: Let’s remember some guys (28:19) This week’s song: “By Your Side” by Sade (31:46) Pride, “Smooth Operator,” and ‘Diamond Life’ (42:50) The legacy of Quiet Storm (49:25) Sade’s public silences and ever-growing myth (58:01) “By Your Side” and Sade’s comforting presence (01:07:19) Interview with Danyel Smith (01:42:50) Outro Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Guest: Danyel Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, Rob explains how even after five successful studio albums, Spoon still felt vengeful enough to write the most triumphant song about being the underdog. He reflects on how Spoon's major label dropped the Austin rockers and became the opposite of a muse for the band, shaping their swaggery image. Finally, he is joined by music critic Ryan Dombal who greatly appreciates the snobbery of Spoon and the rockstar frontman energy of Britt Daniels. (00:00) Intro: The three phases of major-label rock stardom (21:23) This week’s song: “The Underdog” by Spoon (25:39) Britt Daniel’s origins and ‘Telefono’ (34:56) How Spoon got dropped from Elektra Records (40:48) Spoon’s evolution as the 21st century's most consistent band (56:44) “The Underdog,” the ultimate mouth-horn song (01:02:28) Interview with Ryan Dombal (01:33:02) Outro Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Guest: Ryan Dombal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/60songsthatexplainthe90s/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@60songsthatexplainthe90s?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We should have known that, despite the irony, the kid from New Jersey who defended the purchasing of serial killer comics would grow up to become the defender of the broken, beaten, and damned. Today, Rob recollects the discovery of his emo phase with the enduring anthem “Welcome to the Black Parade,” by My Chemical Romance. He recounts the rise of the young band in a post-9/11 New Jersey and the pinnacle of their success with the grandiose showmanship of the 'Black Parade' album. At the end, he is joined by former My Chemical Romance producer and mentor Geoff Rickly, lead singer of the band Thursday, who knew early on that the band would be a global phenomenon. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Guest: Geoff Rickly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/60songsthatexplainthe90s/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@60songsthatexplainthe90s?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re going back to our roots this week—back to our Toyota Corollas and Chrysler LeBarons or whatever other shitty cars we drove back in the ’90s—to blast some Bush. Rob ponders whether frontman Gavin Rossdale is a good lyricist and extends some empathy in the age of Nirvana, when no alt-rock band could compare, especially those singing about their “willies.” Finally, Rob is joined by national treasure and Rob’s daughter Yasi Salek, who comes to defend the lyricism of cheekbone himbo Gavin Rossdale. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Julianna Ress, Olivia Crerie, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Yasi Salek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is for the ladies up in here tonight! Before her hips became internationally renowned, Shakira was making Spanish rock music from the age of 14. Today, Rob looks back at her crossover album 'Laundry Service,' which was released as other Latin American artists were also starting to make music in English. Later, he is joined by music journalist Suzy Exposito, who talks about why Shakira deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, her initial disappointment when Shakira dyed her hair blonde and started singing in English, and what it was like getting to interview her. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Julianna Ress, Olivia Crerie, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Suzy Exposito Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine, you’re on the road with an indie sleaze band making sock puppets sing obscenities when Sesame Street gives you a call. Leslie Feist’s career can most similarly be compared to the life of Benjamin Button with her most successful and youthful song, “1234,” coming later in her colorful and previously raucous music career. Rob breaks down Feist’s magical ability to bring new perspectives to covers and sing emotion into numbers before he is joined by Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack. They discuss the role Feist’s music played in soundtracking Chandler’s college years and how this affected her most recent film, Mile End Kicks, which follows a young music journalist becoming increasingly more involved in the music scene she’s documenting. Listen to the songs from the episode: '00s #44 Feist "1234" Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Chandler Levack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is for all of the people who don’t know the difference between a meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite. Rob finally opens up about his hipster phase of life that nearly got him killed (his words, not ours). He recounts all of the “freak folk” music he discovered in the Bay Area, all of which led him to the harp virtuoso and wordsmith Joanna Newsom. He tries his best not to describe her unique singing voice while dissecting her ability to bend words and seamlessly expand her listener’s vocabulary. Finally, he is joined by music journalist and ex-h*pst*r Garrett Kamps, who recounts what it was like watching one of Joanna Newsom’s first shows and contemplates why fans may have felt protective over her. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Garrett Kamps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will you come to my cottage this summer and blast Canadian rock music? Rob is asking … for a friend! This week, we analyze the dramatic comeback of the Wolf Parade song “I’ll Believe in Anything” after its use in the hit gay hockey show ‘Heated Rivalry.’ He explains how his focus on the ferocity of Wolf Parade’s music distracted him from the meaning of the lyrics and how they surprised him years later during the song's resurgence. Later, he is joined by Canadian Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the differences in the Montreal and Toronto rock scenes, remind Rob of forgotten Canadian bands, and explain what a “reheat” is. Listen to the songs from the episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jGtG2AAHCdpazCzuSlHrP?si=c5055ad6583f45e6&pt=21d76d95c5a8429ca2ed00ab7a01c09a Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Elamin Abdelmahmoud Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Keep those negative thoughts to yourself! They are a parasite to those around you, and who knows that better than Thom Yorke? This week, Rob proves that Radiohead has the ability to sully the minds of even the most innocent by discussing “All I Need,” from their 2007 album, 'In Rainbows.' He breaks down the initial reaction to the pay-what-you-can release of 'In Rainbows’ and discusses why the album resonates with a new generation of Radiohead fans. Finally, he is joined by 'In Rainbows' expert Cole Cuchna from Dissect to break down the various lyrical interpretations of “All I Need” and the timeless quality of the album’s sonics. Listen to Rob’s ’90s Radiohead episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EHs9EMkYVbLrhl4KkzzSn?si=c4a63a2fee6e4a94 Listen to Dissect’s 'In Rainbows' breakdown: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3r7UlNtqVjeVEVUsOQoEsu?si=1bb40847b7e1472d Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler and Chris Sutton Guest: Cole Cuchna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Rob takes a trip down memory lane, a.k.a. 2000s Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Now that we are in the dark ages of social media and virality, there is a set-in-stone Mount Rushmore of late-night TV band performances, including the high-energy TV On The Radio debut of “Wolf Like Me.” Rob discusses how TV On The Radio was affected by post-9/11 New York, giving us the iconic opening album line, “I was a lover before this war.” Later, he is joined by musician and top-10 TV On The Radio fan Bartees Strange to discuss covering a monolith of a song like “Wolf Like Me” and how TV On The Radio paved the road for artists like Bartees. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler, Julianna Ress, and Chris Sutton Guest: Bartees Strange Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Rob makes a solid argument that the coolest thing a person can do is watch cartoons and play pretend. He breaks down the many personas of Daniel Dumile, starting with Zev Love X and ending with his villain persona Madvillain. He argues that his best work was done with fellow children’s show lover Madlib before he is joined by rapper and podcaster Open Mike Eagle to talk about getting to collaborate with your favorite rapper and the appeal of concealing one’s identity as an artist. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler, Julianna Ress, and Chris Sutton Guest: Open Mike Eagle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You’ve heard the song a million times, and you can sing along with the crowd when it comes on. But come trivia, would you be able to name the artist and song title? Today, Rob is going to drill every jock jam into your head, leading up to the iconic opening eight bars of “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes. He breaks down the unusual nature of Meg and Jack White’s relationship and the perfect minimalism of Meg White’s drum style paired with Jack White’s unpredictable maximalist guitar. He tries to make sense of how, of all their songs, “Seven Nation Army” has reached the pinnacle of fame. Later, he is joined by author Chuck Klosterman, who shares his experience interviewing the White Stripes, discusses the small list of songs that are more iconic than their creators, and ruminates on whether Jack White could ever form a two-person band again. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Production Support: Kevin Pooler and Chris Sutton Guest: Chuck Klosterman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, Rob talks about the song that left him speechless upon his first listen—“Milkshake”. He retraces his steps back to the beginning of Kelis’s career when she was screaming at a Glastonbury crowd. He analyzes the trend of not being able to place Black women into neat and separate genres, as rock, rap, punk, pop, and R&B start to blur lines. He is blissfully confused, and that is okay. Later, he is joined by music critic Leslie Gray Streeter to discuss the art of balancing humor and anger in a song and the empowerment of “Milkshake” as Kelis makes fun of the men who lust after her. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler and Chris Sutton Guest: Leslie Gray Streeter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine the angstiest, cringiest art you made as a teenager. Now imagine the entire world singing to it in their cars and at karaoke forever. Today, Rob is breaking down the emotionally turbulent emo-bop factory machine that is Paramore. He applauds the incredible and messy lyrics of ‘Riot!,’ which differentiate the album from those of similar bands of the time. Later, he talks to The Ringer’s Rob Mahoney, Paramore’s OG fan, to discuss the exponential improvement between ‘All We Know Is Falling’ and ‘Riot!’ and Hayley Williams’s incredible vocals on “Misery Business.” Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler and Chris Sutton Guest: Rob Mahoney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is a select handful of people who were never meant to step foot into an office due to their proclivity to screw around. Just like we sent Rob packing to Ohio to bother no one but himself, Lowestoft, England shipped us The Darkness. During the post-grunge era when rock was murkily defined, we were gifted front man and lead singer Justin Hawkins on a silver platter (his manager’s shoulders) to give us crude operatic hair metal ballads. This week, Rob discusses, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” a song that proves if you dive head first into cheesiness, it becomes ironic and cool. Later, he is joined by Jill Hopkins who talks about the experience of watching The Darkness live and then comparing that to the people who feel confident enough to sing The Darkness at karaoke. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Jill Hopkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, Rob breaks down one of the many impossible expectations we have for our musical stars—the memorial performance. After years of staying out of the public eye, D’Angelo paid tribute to the artist he grew up imitating, Prince, not because he was expected to but because he had something to share. The bulk of D’Angelo’s career was spent defying our expectations, from taking his time between each of his three studio albums to refusing to become a one-dimensional sex symbol after the release of his “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video. Rob speaks to author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib about how we misinterpreted this music video and how we should all be grateful we were born at a time when we could listen to D’Angelo. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Hanif Abdurraqib Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the uncertain moments following 9/11, we were searching for comfort and someone to help us make sense of it all. Today, Rob discusses the one musician who was capable of stepping up and capturing the emotions the American people were feeling: Bruce Springsteen. Rob recaps the political statements Springsteen had been making in the decades before, which prepared him for the creation of “The Rising.” Finally, he is joined by music critic and Springsteen expert Steven Hyden to discuss where the album ‘The Rising’ ranks in his discography. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Steven Hyden Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before he vows to leave her alone, Rob breaks down the cataclysmic career of a pop star who did it for the love of the game and the disgust of the fame. Britney Spears had the power to shift culture with a single VMAs performance, yet her music reflected a desperation to control her own personal life. Despite the public’s continuous mistreatment of Britney, she selflessly gifted us one of the most iconic bangers of our time: “Toxic.” Afterwards, Rob speaks with music journalist Jeff Weiss to talk about the unfinished evolution of Britney’s career, the difference in today’s celebrity culture, and creation of his book, ‘Waiting for Britney Spears,’ in the time of the Free Britney movement. Host: Rob Harvilla Guest: Jeff Weiss Producers: Justin Sayle and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At long last, Rob has returned to your speakers and screens, triumphant in the face of his haters. In this way, he is no different than the subject of today’s episode: T-Pain. Even though he wrote, produced, and performed some of the greatest hits of the 2000s, T-Pain’s use of auto-tune overshadowed his talent. However, after his 2014 Tiny Desk Concert, it is safe to say we all owe T-Pain an apology (and a drank). Finally, Rob talks to The Ringer’s Tyler Parker, who speaks to the shock of hearing “I’m n Luv (wit a Stripper)” for the first time and becoming fascinated with T-Pain’s style and his version of the club. Host: Rob Harvilla Guest: Tyler Parker Producers: Justin Sayle and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices